A Grand Prairie teenager who killed and mutilated a neighbor’s cat pleaded guilty Monday to animal cruelty as jury selection was about to begin for his trial.

Oscar Vega, 18, faces up to 10 years in prison for the third-degree felony, but no date has been set for a jury to decide the punishment.

State District Judge Rick Magnis jailed Vega on Monday and raised his bail to $250,000.

Vega was arrested Aug. 6 after he was accused of hitting the animal with a hammer 30 times and then beheading and eviscerating the animal.

An animal services officer saw the cat’s body with its intestines hanging out on top of a pizza box near Vega’s apartment. Authorities found a knife under Vega’s bed that had blood and fur on it.

According to testimony at a hearing in November, Vega laughed about the incident and said “it was just an animal.” An animal services officer testified that Vega was “lackadaisical” about killing the cat.

A Grand Prairie police officer at the same hearing described Vega as “detached” and “nonchalant” at the crime scene. “Like he didn’t care about anything,” the officer said.